Display marker clip

ABSTRACT

A spring clip is provided with retaining means for holding an associated attention directing card and is also provided with side wall flanges for snapping into grooves of a conventional Cshaped price tag molding with which the clip is used.

United States Patent 1 Slavsky DISPLAY MARKER CLIP [75] Inventor: Robert J. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich.

[73] Assignee: Shaw & Slavsky, Inc'., Detroit,

Mich.

[22] Filed: July 16, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 163,387

[52] U.S. Cl ..40/11 [51 Int. Cl ..G09f 3/18 [58] Field of Search ..40/l0, l 1, 22

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1970 Gutterson 40/l 1 Feb. 6, 1973 3/1960 Lynde,Jr. ..40/i1 1/1939. Klau ..206/DlG.l8

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner1. Q. Lever Attorney-Daniel G. Cullen et al.

[ 5 7 ABSTRACT A spring clip is provided with retaining means for holding an associated attention directing Card and is also provided with side wall flanges for snapping into grooves of a conventional C-shaped price tag molding with which the 'clip is used.

' 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DISPLAY MARKER our BACKGROUND The art is aware of display marker clips.

Examples are shown in the Gutterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,605 of Sept. 29, 1970. On the market have been found clips made somewhat like that shown in FIG. 6 of such patent. In this application I disclose a novel clip having a somewhat different construction than clips now known, and which are superior in performance.

OBJECTS The present invention provides a sheet metal clip characterized by the fact that it may be used with lightweight thin plastic display markers and not requiring and not limited for use with heavy-weight thick plastic markers.

Another feature of the clip hereof is that it may easily be removed, without the use of a tool, from the molding into which it has been placed simply by squeezlng the sides of the clip with the fingers.

The removal of the marker from the clip may be accomplished by finger-squeezing the ends of the clip together for releasing the marker and this may be done whether the clip is in a molding or outside of a molding. To facilitate the finger-squeezing action, the ends of the clip are provided with indentations for receiving the tips of the fingers of the user.

While it is not always necessary to do so, it some times is advisable to apply finger-squeezing pressure to the end of the clip to widen the marker receiving slot in the clip during the insertion of the marker into the clip, in the same way that the same slot is widened to facilitate removal of the marker from the clip.

Also shown here is the use of the clip with a flat molding formed on its back surface with a pressure sensitive tape which enables the molding to be secured to a flat surface such as a shelf edge not presehtly provided with a molding, or to any other flat surface, such as the flat surface of an appliance, such as a refrigerator, stove, TV set, or the like on display. The clip hereof is so formed that the release of a marker from a clip is very easy and thus the removal of a marker from a clip may be effected without tending to pull an adhesively secured molding off the surface to which the molding has been adhered.

THE DRAWING The appended drawing shows a preferred form of the clip hereof. In such drawing:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a clip in a molding and mounting a marker.

FIGS. 2,3 and 4 are views on arrows 2,3 and 4 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 shows a metal blank for the clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The clip hereof comprises a sheet metal device formed with a rectangular front wall 10, two end walls 12, two side walls 14, and with an open back.

The four sides and ends are joined only at 18 to the four edges of the front wall, and are otherwise separated relatively as shown at 19.

A slot 22 extends across the front wall and continues partly only at 24 but equally on each of the two sides 14 tively narrow, and the teeth of slot 22 are somewhat in register.

However, the end walls 12 are finger-squeezable towards each other to widen the slot 22 inthe front wall and de-register the teeth to enable a display marker to be entered into the slot or removed from the slot as desired. The release of the finger-squeezing permits the two front wall parts on opposite sides of the slot 22 to return to unsprung condition andwith the slot 22 normally narrow.

In the squeezing action, the two parts of the front wall, normally somewhat crowned and normally somewhat close together and with their teeth at 22 somewhat in register, are diagonally and oppositely biased, to de-register the teeth and widen theslot 22. While the drawing shows the front 10 as flat, in a preferred form it is somewhat crowned.

The side walls 14 have slits 30 transverse to the slots 24 for facilitating the widening and narrowing of the slot 22 in the front wall.

The flanges 28 of the side walls 14 also have toothed edges 34 for facilitating the grip of the clip in a moldmg.

Shown are indentations or holes 36 in the end walls 12 for locating the tips of the fingers of the user.

The molding 32 shown is flat and is equipped on its rear surface 38 with pressuresensitive tape to enable the molding to be secured to any flat surface, like the edge of a shelf or the side wall of an appliance on display, such as a refrigerator, stove or TV set. The release of the marker from the clip is so easy that such release will not tend to pull the molding off the adhered surface.

It will be noted that no tool is needed to widen the slot 22 and release the marker. All that is necessary is the application of finger pressure to the end walls 12.

It willalso be noted that the normal use of finger pressure will not deform the device in such a way that it will no longer grip the display marker.

FIG. 1 shows, on marker 26, which is imprinted largely in fluorescent colors, a clear white area 50 defined a sheet metal device formed with a rectangular front wall; two ends, two sides, and its back open;

with the sides and ends being joined only to the four edges of the front wall and otherwise separated relatively;

a slot extending across the front wall and continuing partly only but equally on the two sides for receiving a display marker;

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the front wall is normally forwardly crowned or convexed out of flat, to facilitate flexing of the front wall and widening of its slot, when the ends are finger squeezed towards each other, for market reception or release; and to return to normal narrow slot condition for marker gripping when the ends are released after having been squeezed towards each other. 

1. A display marker clip comprising: a sheet metal device formed with a rectangular front wall; two ends, two sides, and its back open; with the sides and ends being joined only to the four edges of the front wall and otherwise separated relatively; a slot extending across the front wall and continuing partly only but equally on the two sides for receiving a display marker; the free and rear opposite edges of the sides being flanged outwardly for seating into separated grooves of a C-shaped molding; the ends being finger-squeezable towards each other to widen the slot in the front wall and releasable to permit the two front wall parts to return to unsprung condition wherein the slot is normally narrow.
 1. A display marker clip comprising: a sheet metal device formed with a rectangular front wall; two ends, two sides, and its back open; with the sides and ends being joined only to the four edges of the front wall and otherwise separated relatively; a slot extending across the front wall and continuing partly only but equally on the two sides for receiving a display marker; the free and rear opposite edges of the sides being flanged outwardly for seating into separated grooves of a C-shaped molding; the ends being finger-squeezable towards each other to widen the slot in the front wall and releasable to permit the two front wall parts to return to unsprung condition wherein the slot is normally narrow.
 2. A clip according to claim 1, wherein the ends project rearwardly from the front, as do the sides. 